


Fragmented In Time

by Ruunkur



Series: Wait For Me [2]
Category: Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Genre: There are others I'm not Tagging, What is writing "not angst"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 18:17:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15394596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruunkur/pseuds/Ruunkur
Summary: Years pass slowly when you're waiting for a loved one to return.





	Fragmented In Time

**Author's Note:**

> *cough cough* Enjoy!

Ken held the steaming cup of tea between his fingers, frowning when he heard the knock at his door. He glanced at the time, setting his cup aside and letting out a small smile. He headed towards the door, brushing his hands along his jeans and opening it.

"Hello Ken, am I interrupting?" Koushiro asked, glancing over his shoulder.

Ken looked at him in surprise before he shook his head. "Of course not, I was just waiting for Hikari to come by for lunch. What can I do for you today?"

"I won't be long, I promise." He said with a quick nod, glancing over his shoulder. "May I come in?"

"Of course," Ken stepped to the side, gesturing for Koushiro to enter. "Would you like any tea? I have a fresh pot on the stove."

"No thank you," Koushiro shook his head, setting his laptop on the table. "I think I found them."

"Found...them?" Ken frowned, moving to take a seat and wrap his hands around his cup once more. Koushiro took the seat next to him, opening his laptop and clearing his throat.

"I know you've mentioned before you didn't want us to keep looking-" He typed as he spoke, his gaze glued to his laptop. "I've been running search programs since then, and they've only gotten better the longer they ran. I was able to find the bugs, with a lot of help from Tentomon-"

He cut himself off, glancing up to meet Ken's stare. He clutched the cup between his hands, dropping his gaze down to the liquid. "Why did you keep looking?" He asked.

"Both species vanished after the others got their memories back." Koushiro leveled his gaze at his laptop, carefully keeping his emotions in check. "However, I had found strands of their data and by tracing that-"

"You found them." Ken's voice is flat, Koushiro looking up at him and shaking his head.

"I found the recycle bin of the digital world."

Ken pulled his hands away from the cup, watching Koushiro. "We knew they were....gone."

"Yes, well, I rummaged through the recycle bin. It was in a different place than the dark ocean. I found the fragments and was able to rebuild their code." Koushiro cleared his throat, looking up at him. "It had their memories as well."

"Rebuild...their code." Ken stared at him, one of his hands flat against the table. "Did you not stop to consider for a moment how I or... How I would feel about any of this?"

"I'm sorry," Koushiro sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I...it was a dumb thing to do on my part, I'm sorry."

Ken sighed, shaking his head. "How long have you been working on this? On...rebuilding the code to our-my partner."

"Nearly ten years,"

Ken was glad for the look of guilt that was on Koushiro's face. He considered it for a moment, turning his head away. "And how did it go?"

"It's done,"

He looked at Koushiro, watching the worry on his face as the red haired man tapped the table with a finger. "I wanted to make sure it would be... I wanted to make sure it would work, before I told you. Taichi told me about your trip to Vegas three years ago. I was planning on seeing if I could talk to Daisuke himself."

Ken considered the information, standing up from his chair and walking towards the sink. He dumped his tea into the sink, washing out the glass and setting it to the side to dry. "How do we know that it will be the same?" Ken asked, turning to Koushiro when the glass was clean.

Koushiro hesitated, glancing to the side as if to look for his own partner before reminding himself that he had come here not with Tentomon. He pulled the second bag he had brought, pulling out the egg and resting it gently on the table. "I suppose we don't know, but-"

Ken felt as if he were clawing his way through jello when he saw the egg, reaching out and clearing the distance in what felt like too much time and no time at all. He rested his hand on the surface, feeling the warmth respond to him. He felt the egg shake, the sound of a crack causing hi to pull away as the small Leafmon pulled himself free.

"Ken! I've been waiting ages to see you again," the digimon said, Ken moving to hold him close. He turned to stare at Koushiro, the man tapping his fingers nervously against the table.

"I am still upset that you would disregard my wishes but...thank you," Ken whispered, feeling Leafmon nuzzle into his shirt.

"I am truly sorry," Koushiro looked down at the table, swallowing. "But..."

"Of course," Ken shifted, seeing the D-3 in his pocket glow briefly before Leafmon evolved, Minomon sitting in his arms. Koushiro moved to leave, placing his laptop in his back.

"If there is anything else I can do..." He hesitated, his gaze sliding from Ken to the baby digimon. He nodded, fidgeting.

"What of Meicoomon?" He asked.

"No trace, Yggrdrasil completely wiped Meicoomon. It... It looked like V-mon and Wormmon had been taken in the same swoop when they tried to take her out the first time, as Imperialdramon-"

"If we were unconscious, how did they use our digimon?" Ken asked, tightening his grip on Minomon until the digimon let out a small noise of protest.

"It's been something I've been trying to figure out for the last sixteen years." Koushiro sighed. "Anyway, I'll be on my way,"

"Of course," Ken shifted, walking Koushiro to the door. He waited until the man left, his gaze dragging down to the Minomon in his arms. "Are you really..."

"Yes," Minomon met Ken's gaze, trembling. "I tried to get back for so long, but it was confusing and there was no way back to you. I'm sorry I made you wait."

"No, no, thank you for coming back," Ken whispered, closing his eyes and feeling the digimon snuggling against him. Only the knock on his door brought them apart, Ken hurrying to answer it.

Hikari stood there, a bag of food in her hand. She glanced between Minomon and Ken, a look of surprise on her face before she smiled at him.

"Hello Hikari," the small digimon said, turning to look at her.

"Hey Minomon," she smiled, a questioning look in her gaze.

"Koushiro," Ken responded, gesturing for Hikari to come in. "He's been working on retrieving Minomon and..." He hesitated, Hikari understanding without being told.

"He explained it to Taichi once, while I was there. He thought it was a terrible idea without getting your permission, but Koushiro was dead set on doing it without help..." Hikari hesitated, her gaze flicking from Ken to the Minomon in his arms.

"He has managed more amazing things than I could have ever hoped to accomplish when I was younger." The words felt hollow to Ken as he spoke, his gaze sliding to the wall. Minomon moved, nuzzling his chest.

"You weren't you, when it happened." The digimon's voice was soft, Ken tensing as he realized that he would have remembered. Hikari offered him a smile, though he could see the pain that reflected in her eyes as well. "You're still you, right Ken-chan? You haven't changed because I was unable to get to you...?"

"No, I don't believe I have." Ken responded, sitting in a chair and letting out a low sigh.

"Why don't we eat?" Hikari asked, lifting up the bag. Ken nodded, his gaze darting to his phone. "And you can call Takeru while we eat." She suggested as she followed his gaze.

"He won't be home until next week," Ken frowned. "Maybe...it would be best to wait for a couple of days..."

"It's up to you," Hikari promised, setting the food out. The trio began to eat, Ken staring in amazement at the fact that he had his partner back.

***

Daisuke closed his eyes as he slumped at the break table, both of his hands tugging at his hair. It had been nearly three years since what he and the others had named 'the incident'. Sam, on rare occasions, would make a joke of it and Jake would drag his gaze down while Daisuke would just laugh it off.

He opened his eyes when he heard the click of Sam's shoes on the tile. He pulled his hands from his hair, meeting her gaze with a half hearted wave.

"You ready for one more round?" She asked, resting her hands on her hips.

"What's the round of? Vodka?" He asked, Sam letting out a snort.

"There's a man named Koushiro Izumi looking for you. He said it was important. He and his digimon are seated in a private area for two, with the nearest outlet we could find. They just placed their order, just need you to cook it. I can tell them you're not seeing anyone, as how the last time..."

Daisuke grimaced, standing up and brushing his hands against his jacket. "Man and I was so close to getting to go home." He teased, bumping her shoulder with his own as he walked past her. "I'll bring him the food."

"There won't be a repeat, will there?" Sam asked. "You were miserable for nearly a month afterwards."

"I was not miserable, I was..." Daisuke hesitated, tipping his head back. "Angry and upset and bitter and angry."

"Miserable." Sam summarized. She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "I won't say one way or another about your own personal life, but if it makes you that way again, I will fly to Japan and kick someone's ass."

"I love you Sam," Daisuke said, catching her off guard in a quick hug. She let out a snort of protest, taking a step back when he let her go.

"Go on you big goof," Sam smacked his shoulder, Daisuke giving her a small wave before he ducked into the kitchen. He looked over Koushiro's order, preparing it with an ease that he had enjoyed. He had been working at the Sage for eight years, the menu becoming second nature to him.

He plated it, Jake glancing up from where he stood next to Josh. "Ready to go out?" He asked.

"I'll take this one, Jonathan has the kitchen for however long this meeting goes." He grimaces at that, Jake raising an eyebrow.

"What sort of meeting do you get to have with the technology brains behind the massive Digital world movement?" He asked.

"You remember 'the incident'?" Daisuke asked.

"God, who doesn't?" Jake snorted, Josh glancing between them and ducking as Daisuke narrowed his eyes at him.

"Yeah, it wouldn't have happened if Josh hadn't been unable to come in. No, I know, I'm just teasing." He added as Josh opened his mouth to protest, the three of them knowing that car accidents were always a challenge to get through. "So, that was my...two...exes? Ya know, I don't think we ever really broke up. Anyway, I knew them from when I used to live in Japan. Didn't leave on the best of notes, just disappeared, ya know? Came here. Spent time getting my culinary degree..." He trailed off. "You two don't care. I know Koushiro from back in the day."

"I don't believe it." Josh glanced between Daisuke and Jake, Daisuke raising an eyebrow.

"Much fun as it is to chat, I have food to take out. I'll serve him. Don't worry, I already promised Sam that there wouldn't be another incident like the last one." Daisuke called over his shoulder to Jake as the man began to protest, carrying the tray with a determination he did not feel as he headed to the small corner table that Sam had mentioned.

He saw Tentomon sitting in the chair, Koushiro letting out a hum of annoyance as he worked at a problem on his computer, the appetizer already demolished.

"Your food," Daisuke set the tray down on the small folding stand he had grabbed, moving to put the plate on the table. Koushiro looked up, nodding at him before looking back at his table. He glanced back up, frowning.

"You aren't the same waiter as before." He observed, saving his work and shutting the laptop.

"No, he's not." Tentomon agreed. "Can't you put your work aside for even a moment, Koushiro?"

"No, I am in the middle-" Koushiro began, frowning.

"Honestly, you don't take a break, ever, do you?" Daisuke raised an eyebrow. "Sam said you wanted to talk to me. I had to promise that there wouldn't be another incident before she thought it would be safe enough to unleash me on you. Just so you know, this is my own cooking and I hope you enjoy it Koushiro. She also threatened to fly to Japan and kick someone's ass if it went as bad as it did the last time."

"I take breaks!" Koushiro said, sounding almost offended by the suggestion.

"News flash dork, you're eating in a high end restaurant and were placed next to the nearest outlet he have on the floor." Daisuke pointed out, watching as Koushiro blushed. He cleared his throat, dragging his gaze to the food as if he realized it was there. Tentomon was already halfway through his first place, Daisuke laughing. "No, but really, why are you here?"

"Ah, oh...uhm..." Koushiro hesitated, swallowing hard. "I was able to locate V-mon's missing data," he began, Daisuke feeling himself freeze.

"That's... a joke." He felt something sharp stab him in the chest when Koushiro spoke. "I'm not here to listen to this crap Izumi." He warned, glancing over his shoulder as he kept his voice level, the smile still fixed on his face.

"Wait, give me five minutes to explain." Koushiro opened his laptop once more, pulling up the needed information, along with the cyberspace room. "I was looking for their code, after their species-"

"Their?" Daisuke raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest as his smile fell.

"Wormmon and V-mon both." Koushiro hesitated, swallowing and looking up at him. "I found their data, in a sort of recycling bin, but not the same place that Apocylomon came from. I was searching for something else, when I came across the code fragments. I was able to recreate them-"

"No," Daisuke's voice was sharp and he could imagine Sam making a face if he could hear the conversation. "What right do you have to try and play god, Izumi?" He demanded, keeping his voice low.

"It's not playing god." Koushiro shot back, Daisuke taking in how Tentomon tensed, his second plate of fod already gone. "It's righting the wrong that Homeostasis and Yggdrasil didn't bother to fix when they could have."

"They're gone!" Daisuke snapped. "I'm tired of you and everyone else showing up here like it's nothing. Can't you just accept that what happened-"

"Here," Koushiro tapped on the screen, Daisuke tensing as he looked in the Cyberspace. he saw something green move across the screen, Wormmon pausing at the front before he hesitantly waved at Daisuke. Daisuke turned on his heel, making sure he grabbed the tray before returning to the back.

He placed it down, hands shaking his he sat in an empty chair, Jake looking at him in concern.

"Yo, man, that look of fury does not suit you. What...happened?" He asked.

"People who don't know how to let shit lie." Daisuke snarled, running a hand over his face. "Like waltzing in sixteen years later as if they had the answer to _everything_ after we got left on the wayside because they couldn't be damned to look for us. They think they can play god and do whatever the hell they want. They think-"

"Daisuke?"

He froze when he heard the voice, turning to look at the small blue digimon that had followed him into the kitchen without notice. His hands clenched at his sides, staring the digimon down.

"Stay with Koushiro. Hell, go with Ken for all I care." He saw Chibimon wilt, the digimon backing away slowly at the anger in his voice. "Just stay the hell away from me." He headed into the back, feeling the anger claw at his chest as he began to work on the next order, his hands shaking.

"Excuse me,"

Daisuke looked up when he heard Sam's voice, the woman intercepting Koushiro at the door. "I'm sorry, but we don't allow patrons back here. You'll have to-"

"You think you're the only one who lost something Daisuke?" Koushiro demanded, his voice electric as Daisuke met his gaze. "We all lost something, get your-"

"Leave," Sam warned, planting herself in the doorway. "Whatever arguments you have can be kept _out_ of my restaurant. I don't care who you are."

Daisuke set the knife down, pressing his hands flat on the board when he realized how badly he was shaking. It felt nearly impossible to breathe, the image of Ken kneeling in front of him popping up in his head. He grimaced, shaking his head to clear it.

"You're going home."

Sam appeared in front of him, the words penetrating the fog that had taken up residence in his brain.

"But I-" Daisuke felt her take the knife from his hands, a frown on her face.

"Daisuke, if you're shaking that bad and you cut off a finger, it will only be on you. I cannot take that kind of accident waiting to happen." Sam frowned, looking over at Jake. "Can you make sure he goes home?"

"I-sure!" Jake said, hurrying over and watching Daisuke in worry. "The uh...guy, left this...?" He held up the small object, Daisuke reaching out and recognizing it as his D-terminal from back in the day. He placed it in his pocket, letting Jake lead him out of the place while Sam had Jonathan take over.

"You don't have to do this." Daisuke's voice was raw as he considered what had happened at the restaurant, Jake looking over him as they got into Daisuke's car, he in the driver while Daisuke sat in the passenger seat, not even bothering to put on his seat belt.

"I'm pretty sure Sam would fire me if I didn't make sure you got home in one piece." Jake chirps, Daisuke raising an eyebrow. "She's worried about you, you know?"

Daisuke gave out a noncommittal hum, his gaze staring out the window as Jake maneuvered the crowded strip street, using several side streets to get out faster.

"You can talk to me, if you want to." Jake offered, Daisuke glancing at him.

"I am tired," he settled on, the words feeling odd. "There are..." He hesitates, considering his words before he shrugs. "There are things I had to work around when I was younger. You know, the magical, fantastical things! Going to the digital world, finding my partner. Being part of something bigger than I thought possible! Having the best boyfriends I could have asked for, even if one was originally a standoffish asshole trying to take over the digital world because of some weed growing in his neck."

Jake looked started, turning to stare at Daisuke with wide eyes when they were at a red light. Daisuke merely shrugged.

"About...four years after the first visit to the digital world, us newer chosen were there, trying to deal with something. None of us could handle it, the four of us that is to say. It overpowered us. Deleted our digimon and sent us into comas, probably?" He scratched his ear as he thought about it. "Don't know about that one, doctors couldn't explain it. When we woke up, it was...months later. Our _friends_ didn't even seem to notice that we were gone -the light's green- and the only reason that Takeru and Hikari went looking for Ken was because the enemy was using the Kaiser facade that Ken had, when we first went there. I tried, for three years, to get over it. When Miyako and Iori got their partners' eggs, we were thrilled for them. It was a sign the digital world was getting better, right?"

"Yeah..." Jake frowned, the car already moving.

"I tried to move on, to be okay with the fact that V-mon didn't come back. I had the relationship with Takeru and Ken. I was... I wasn't happy. I was wearing a false smile every day and when I was eighteen, I had enough. I had several options to come to Vegas for culinary schools, so I went. Didn't tell anyone I was going." Daisuke pressed his fingers to the scar on his thumb, closing his eyes. "I am tired of listening to the voices in my head that they should have found us, that they should have looked harder. That they should have even _noticed_ that we had gone. Jun told me that Takeru and Ken would show up once a week, talk with my family and see if they could get anything out of them about where I was after I left. My parents and Jun never told them where I had gone. I wanted, needed, time to think."

"You were there then," Jake mused and Daisuke nodded.

"Not for the fight with Meicoomon, but for everything else. I couldn't say what happened there, but I suppose..." He shrugged. "I lost a lot more in those months than I realized. Seeing them..." He shook his head.

"And the man, today?" Jake asked.

"He's fucking with things that he doesn't have any right to." Daisuke tilted his head, resting against the car window and watching the streetlights pass. "I could go back, both Ken and Takeru promised that. I could go back, no questions asked. And...I could have my partner back, but at what cost do you keep going back? When do you move on?"

"Are you happy here?" Jake asked.

"I'm tired," Daisuke responded, Jake pulling into his complex. "You... Want to stay the night or something?" It was nearly one in the morning, Daisuke already feeling relieved that Sam had sent him home. He made a mental note to text her later and thank her for letting him leave.

"Sure, if you don't mind." Jake parked the car, turning it off and following Daisuke up to his apartment. He flicked on the light, greeting his cat by affectionately moving her out of the way with his foot before gesturing for Jake to come in.

Daisuke tossed his stuff on the small table that was propped up in the corner of his studio apartment, grimacing. "It's not clean, but-"

"This is great. I'll take the floor." Jake cut him off, staring Daisuke down.

"We can share the bed." Daisuke shrugged, "but if you don't want to... I used to fit three guys on a twin mattress. A queen sized bed with two people is no issue at all."

Jake hesitated before he nodded, moving to sit down. Daisuke headed into the bathroom, taking extra clothes and hoping in a quick shower, feeling the need to get rid of a layer of grim that probably didn't exist. His mind wandered to the promise that Takeru and Ken had made three years ago, his fingers scrubbing over his face. "Yeah, fucking right. Bet they did it all..." He continued to grumble to himself as he got out of the shower, drying off and changing into a set of hardly used pajamas.

He saw Jake sitting on the bed, phone in front of his face while Daisuke walked to the table, pulling out the D-terminal and looking it over. Since the last time he had seen it, there had been several improvements made, most notable being that it ran off of digital world data, rather than standard wifi. He flipped it open, sitting in a chair and wading through the start of sixteen years of messages from the others, though he noted that after five years, it soon became only Takeru and Ken trying to reach out to him.

"What flung you so far back in the digital age?" Jake joked, catching a glance at the D-terminal.

"I'll have you know that this was the highest grade technology twenty years ago." Daisuke looked up, snapping the D-terminal shut and setting it to the side. "And it's only gotten better since then, if the improvements I'm seeing are anything to go by. Besides, this baby runs off of digital data, rather than a phone service or wifi. Meaning, as long as there is a connection to the digital world, I can use it whenever I want."

Jake nodded, watching as Daisuke set it on the table before he flung himself down next to Jake, sprawling on his half of the bed for the night. "I'll make Okonomiyaki for breakfast in the morning."

"Okonomiyaki?" Jake repeated, raising an eyebrow as Daisuke flipped off the lights with a nod.

"It's great, you'll love it." He shut his eyes, turning on his side and listened to Jake breathe for a couple of minutes before the man cleared his throat.

"You going to head back?"

Daisuke frowned, caught off guard by the question. He opened his eyes, turning to look at him. "Head back where?"

"Home," Jake responded. "Japan," he clarified. "Eventually, you are going to have to accept the fact that things happened. It wasn't in your control, was it?"

"No, but..." Daisuke sighed, squeezing his eyes shut and laying on his back. "I am content with where I am."

"And those two boyfriends of yours?" Jake asked.

Daisuke grimaced, glancing at him before shoving him lightly. "They're insane if they think waiting for me will make any difference. They're..."

"They love you," Jake guessed and Daisuke nodded. He stared up at the ceiling of the apartment, his eyes tracing the glow in the dark stars he had plastered up there.

"What do you think I should do?" He turned his head, looking at Jake.

The man gave a small hum before he shrugged. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know," Daisuke admitted, letting out a sigh and closing his eyes. "I don't know,"

***

Takeru studied the drink in his hand, reading the label as he squinted. "Why does this seem to contain more sugar than alcohol?"

"Because I like sweet drinks," Ken reached over, plucking the bottle from his hand and placing it on the table. "How are you?"

Takeru slumped his shoudlers before he shrugged, his gaze sliding over to where Wormmon, Chibimon, and Patamon were all sleeping together. "It's been a long day." He summarized.

"Yes, I suppose it has." Ken agreed, leaning against the table and meeting Takeru's gaze. "Another two years," he opened the bottle, tipping it towards the blond. Takeru raised an eyebrow, shaking his head.

"I can't believe you're drinking."

"What else am I supposed to do?" Ken shrugged, taking a sip of the drink. "We all deal with our guilt in our own ways."

Takeru let out a hum, resting his forearms on the table before placing his chin on his wrists, looking up at Ken. "What do you think he's doing, right now?"

Ken considered the question, tilting the bottle and examining the color of it in the light. "Hard to say," he admitted.

"Is it wrong to still miss him?" Takeru closed his eyes as he spoke, considering their partner for a moment. It had been two years since Koushiro had been able to retrieve Wormmon and V-mon, the man telling them what Daisuke had said. Ken tapped the D-terminal in front of him, his finger creating a soothing pattern that Takeru synced his breathing with. The pair stayed like this for several minutes, Takeru jerking when he heard his D-Terminal jingle.

He reached towards it, selecting answer and meeting his brother's gaze.

"What are you two up to?" Yamato asked, Takeru setting the device down so he could see both him and Ken. Ken tipped the bottle in Yamato's direction before taking a swig, Takeru shrugging.

"Trying to decide what to cook for dinner." He said, Ken raising an eyebrow at Takeru.

"Oh," Yamato frowned, glancing between him and Ken on the small screen. "Taichi, Sora, and I are having a small get together tonight. You're welcome to come over if you want."

"Who all is coming?" Ken asked, setting his drink down and moving to stand behind Takeru, who had sat up as Yamato spoke.

"Just the old gang," Yamato shrugged.

"I'm in if I don't have to cook." Takeru glanced at Ken, the man considering before he nodded in agreement.

"We'll be there in an hour,"

"It starts at five," Yamato glanced over his shoulder, the camera wavering as he adjusted his hold. "Looking forward to seeing you!" He waved, the video call ending as Takeru sighed, rubbing his temples. Ken studied his drink once more, downing the rest of it and setting the empty bottle to the side.

He turned when he heard his D-terminal go off, walking over to it and flicking it open, selecting the new message.

**From: Unknown Sender**

_Hey, can you be at the airport in an hour...?_

He frowned as he read over the message, turning to look at Takeru. "What do you make of this?"

"Someone who got the wrong number," Takeru glanced up as he read the text, arching an eyebrow. "What else is there to think about?"

"Daisuke."

The room felt tense when Ken uttered the name, feeling the taste of ashes on his mouth. He glanced towards the trio of sleeping digimon, Takeru tilting his head back and closing his eyes. "What would be the point of reaching out like that?"

"We could always go and see if we can find whoever it was that was looking for a ride." Ken pointed out, the feeling of dread spreading over him. "It's probably not him." He added, just to see Takeru deflate.

Takeru's gaze turned towards the sleeping Chibimon, who was at the bottom of the pile. "You don't think...?"

Ken shook his head. "He was so angry with Koushiro. You know how he is. He feels so strongly about everything. He burns bright and doesn't let himself forget."

Takeru nodded, getting up and stretching. "Guess I'll take a shower." He wandered away, Ken toying with his D-Terminal. He hesitated, selecting Koushiro's number and giving him a call. It was several rings before the man answered, Ken clearing his throat.

"Good afternoon Koushiro," he spoke, tone soft as he listened to the water.

"Afternoon Ken, what can I do for you?" Koushiro sounded tired, Ken frowning.

"Sorry for bothering you, I just had a question regarding the D-terminals," Ken glanced at his on the table, leaning against the object in thought.

"Sure, did something happen to yours?" Koushiro asked, suddenly sounding more awake.

"I wanted to confirm that they were secured." Ken explained. "That only certain...people could contact each other on them."

Koushiro hummed in agreement. "They're set to each other. No one would be able to contact any of us if they didn't have one of the original twelve D-terminals. Did something happen?"

"I got a message on it from an unknown sender." Ken explained.

Koushiro hesitated, Ken raising an eyebrow as the man took a breath. "Daisuke has one,"

"Daisuke," Ken blinked, staring at the ceiling. "So there is...?"

"Yeah,"

There was the sound of keys tapping on the other end of the phone, Ken feeling anxious as he waited for Koushiro's answer.

"It looks like it was used recently too." He said finally, the keys falling silent.

Ken hummed, glancing at the trio of digimon. "Thank you for the information. I shall see you tonight."

"See you tonight." Koushiro agreed, Ken hanging up the call and setting his phone aside. He picked up the D-terminal, studying the message. He didn't look up until Takeru walked back into the room, sliding his arms around Ken's waist and resting his chin on the man's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" He asked, looking at Ken's D-terminal.

"Apparently going to the airport. Care to join me?" Ken asked, moving to glance at his partner.

Takeru raised an eyebrow, considering it before he nodded. "I don't suppose it would hurt." He settled on.

Ken nodded, shrugging out of Takeru's grip. "We leave in ten minutes."

"I'm driving," Takeru informed Ken, watching him grab a second drink and opening the bottle. Ken tipped it towards him, raising an eyebrow before he downed it in less than two minutes. They colected the trio of digimon, placing them in the safe keeping of the Cyberspace with Tailmon and Patamon before they headed to the airport, Takeru indeed driving.

Ken grimaced as he stared out the window, head tilted back as he considered the possibility that it was Daisuke.

"What are we going to do?"

He was jolted out of his thoughts when Takeru spoke, his gaze sliding to the blond. He considered the question, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh. "We told him we would wait,"

He watched as Takeru's grip tightened on the steering wheel, his face set into a grimace. "I know,"

They continued to drive in silence, the pair of them watching the rain fall. They pulled up into the airport parking lot, Takeru getting them a spot. It was tense as they headed down to baggage claim, Ken pulling to the D-terminal and pulling up the message.

_From: Unknown Sender_

**I'm down by baggage claim fifteen**

Ken frowned as he looked towards the baggage claims, finding the number. Takeru trailed behind them, both of them searching for the man they had loved for years. It took them a moment to spot the man that was waving at them, his brightly colored hair causing both Takeru and Ken to share a glance.

"Hi, I'm sorry for sending you a message like that." The man said, running a hand through his hair. He carried a bag in one hand, Daisuke's D-terminal poking out from his pocket. "You must be Ken and Takeru?"

The pair exchanged a glance, looking towards Jake. "Yes, and who are you?"

"My name is Jake Thompson, I'm...I was a friend of Daisuke's, we worked together." He shifted, his gaze sliding to the side. "Uhm..."

"Was," Takeru picked up on the word, his arms crossing his chest.

"He was killed in a car accident three months ago," Jake fidgeted with the bag, his gaze sliding to the side. "I was recently given custody of his belongings and remains. There was a note that he was going to be returning to Japan and...I'm really sorry."

Ken stared at him, feeling his eyebrow twitch. "A. Car. Accident?" He asked, Takeru placing a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Ken," his voice was low as he stepped forward, his gaze sliding from Ken to the hapless American standing in his path. His hand twitched to his phone, pulling it out and speed dialing Yamato. He held it up to his hair, feeling Ken shaking under his hand.

"It was raining, the streets had flooded and the man that crashed into us had been drinking." Jake shifted his weight, eyes darting from Ken to Takeru. "He was going to leave for Japan, that weekend. He was on life support for three days before it failed."

"Why were we not told?" Ken demanded, Jake frowning before he shook his head.

"It was so sudden-" he began.

"Three days on life support is not sudden." Ken's voice had grown icy calm, Takeru tightening his grip on Ken's shoulder. He held his breath as Yamato picked up the phone.

"Takeru?"

"There was an incident," Takeru's breath was rushed as he spoke, his heart thudding in his chest. "We're coming in through a portal. Just, any portal."

"Okay," Yamato sighed. "Is it Daisuke?"

"In a way," Takeru shoved the phone in his pocket as he ended the call. He moved his hand from Ken's shoulder to his wrist, pulling him closer. "Ken, come on, let's just-"

"Here," Jake hesitated as he held out the bag, placing the D-terminal with it. "It's... His ashes,"

Ken let out a snarl and tried to lunge at the man, Takeru gripping tighter as he grabbed the bag, throwing his weight against Ken. It was brief scramble as he dropped Ken's wrist and grabbed his D-3, using the nearest screen to launch a gate. He pulled Ken threw with him, the landing rough as they sprawled out in the desert sands.

He steadied the urn in the bag, turning to stare at the rage induced shaking that was Ken, collapsed on his hands and knees. Takeru waited for five minutes, Ken looking up at him. He looked haunted, Takeru considering the implications as he held out a hand to Ken.

Ken looked up at him, reaching out and taking it. He gripped it tightly, hair falling in his face as he looked down again.

"Do you want to go home?" Takeru asked, voice low.

"Home is the worst place for me now." Ken admitted, his gaze shifting to the sky.

"Okay, we'll head to the others then." Takeru got Ken up from the ground, holding out his D-3 and opening the portal. He grimaced, feeling them sucked away and landing in Yamato's living room. Ken stared at him, eyes blank before he broke down sobbing. Takeru moved, patting his shoulder and grimacing.

"Hello...?" Yamato frowned.

"Daisuke's dead," Takeru summarized, Yamato staring at them. Takeru gestured towards the urn in the bag, feeling himself grow cold as he realized that Daisuke was going to go home.


End file.
